Ugg boots: The trend that just won’t die

Reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated over the years but could this really be the end of the road for Ugg boots? The fashion set can’t wait to relegate them to the bargain bin and gleefully pounced on recent news that parent company Deckers has seen sales slump by 31 per cent in the last four months – surely irrefutable evidence that our obsession with the sheepskin eyesores is finally over.

But, no sooner had the fashion world taken to their blogs and Twitter feeds to proclaim ‘ding dong the Ugg is dead’ than analysts began to report signs of a faint pulse – Deckers’ shares have since risen in value by 2.6 per cent, largely attributable to the recent cold weather which has sparked a small revival in sales.

It’s the trend that just won’t die.

Our Antipodean friends are particularly flummoxed by the British love of the Ugg. They can’t comprehend why something they consider nothing more than an impudent slipper is still worn as a supposed fashion accessory on every high street in the UK.

Yet, it is true that Ugg boots were once a must-have for stylish A-listers everywhere. Celebrity devotees such as Cameron Diaz and Kate Moss kicked off the craze all the way back in 2001 and it was virtually impossible to get your hands on a pair. With a price tag of around £250, these were slippers with grand ambitions.

In a sequence of events later referred to as ‘Ugg-gate’ by my friends, I spent a feverish four months in early 2002 awaiting the delivery of a pair of classic short black Uggs which were on back-order from their native Australia because you couldn’t yet buy them in the UK. By the time they arrived (one week before Selfridges began to stock them), I would have sold my own mother for a pair.

It seems unimaginable now that the ubiquitous boot could have been so sought-after. These days, they litter our high streets, beloved by wannabe WAGs and Sloane Rangers alike. They are sold on every street corner, with cheap imitations readily available.

Only Z-list celebs like Chloe Madeley wear Uggs these days (Picture: XPosurephotos.com)

The fashion industry has long since moved on to sexier and smarter flats – and understandably so. There are far superior incarnations out there for the money (Acne’s Pistol boots for example) and they won’t let in the rain or repel members of the opposite sex either.

But, while sales are definitely on the decline, those who already own a pair of Uggs struggle to give them up. As soon as the temperature begins to drop, they come back out of the wardrobe. Because they are a guilty pleasure; comforting and cosy on a miserable winter’s day. And there lies the rub.

You see, what the Aussies and some fashion types will never understand is that sometimes we Brits just want to wear our slippers outside.

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